Room and board, rental rate changes announced

KALAMAZOO -- Room and board and apartment rental rates will
rise between 3.6 and 6 percent for 2003-04 at Western Michigan
University.

The increase, approved by the WMU Board of Trustees at its
July 16 meeting, averages 6 percent for room and board and 4
percent for apartment rental rates.

The cost to live and eat in a residence hall for the 2003-04
academic year will be $6,496 for 20 meals per week, a difference
of $368 from the current rates. Increases for students with 15-
and 10-meal plans will be $359 and $338 per academic year, respectively.
Room and board rates also will rise by $88 for Summer I Session
and $87 for Summer II Session for those using the 15-meal plan,
and by $80 for Summer I Session and $79 for Summer II Session
for those on the 10-meal plan. The 20-meal plan is offered only
during the academic year.

Apartment rental rates range from $522 per month for a one-bedroom,
unfurnished apartment in Goldsworth Valley to $767 per month
for a two-bedroom, furnished unit in the Elmwood Apartments.
The increases for 2003-04 ranged from 3.6 to 4.6 percent.

WMU operates 22 residence halls, six full-service dining facilities,
six cash dining facilities and three apartment complexes. The
University has a residence hall capacity of 6,058 students, and
the facilities opened at 98 percent of capacity in the fall of
2002. Approximately 28 percent of all WMU students live in residence
halls, some 83 percent of whom are freshmen or sophomores. The
585 on-campus apartments for student families, graduate students
and non-traditional students operated throughout the 2002-03
academic year at 91 percent capacity.